The biggest name in free agency has finally found a home, and it's with the back-to-back World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers. Outfielder Kyle Tucker and the Dodgers agreed to a four-year, $240 million contract on Thursday night, paying him an absurd $60 million per season. The deal also includes opt-outs after the second and third seasons, with $30 million in deferrals.
The deal sent shockwaves across the MLB landscape. The new evil empire in baseball not only got the best reliever on the open market in Edwin Díaz earlier in the offseason but has now picked up the best position player available. Before the signing, the three teams that were supposedly in the Tucker sweepstakes were the Dodgers, the New York Mets, and the Toronto Blue Jays.
Tucker ultimately chose the defending champs, and it's a decision that will cause other dominos to start falling. It'll have rippling effects on the rest of the NL, including the Philadelphia Phillies in their quest for Bo Bichette.
The Phillies met with Bichette virtually earlier this week (subscription required) and have been named a favorite to land the 27-year-old star. The Dodgers signing Tucker suddenly changes everything, however.
Blue Jays become biggest threat to Phillies' Bo Bichette chances after Kyle Tucker joins Dodgers
The Blue Jays seemed heavily in on Tucker before he ended up going to Hollywood. ESPN's Jeff Passan even reported on Wednesday that Toronto may have been the only team willing to go 10 years on a contract offer. Tucker instead preferred the juiced AAV.
The deal might force the Blue Jays to pivot back to their previous shortstop Bichette. Phillies fans were hoping that Tucker would find his way north of the border, but now Bichette could be a target for the Blue Jays once again.
The Blue Jays are coming off a season where they were two outs away from a World Series title and just missed out on a big free agent. Trying to bring back Bichette makes a lot of sense for them.
The Phillies have needed another bat for a few seasons now, especially at playoff time. The offense has come up short in back-to-back postseason disappointments. They have the motivation to bring in Bichette, but the Blue Jays have a strong desire to win while also having the familiarity with Bichette after he spent the first seven years of his big league career in Toronto.
The market may have shrunk to just the Blue Jays and Phillies with Bichette, but Philadelphia is really going to be up against it trying to convince Bichette to leave the only organization he's known in his career. The Phillies truly could be the team that offers both the most amount of years and money, but with the Blue Jays desperate, there's still doubt that it will be enough to pull it off.